Junior Johnson and NASCAR Racing

Stock car racing developed as a sport in the mountains and the foothills of the Southern Appalachians after World War II as automobiles became widely available in the rural South. For many young men in the Blue Ridge, racing represented a way of establishing a better lifestyle or an opportunity to escape the farm or the mill.

When writer Tom Wolfe dubbed Junior Johnson "The Last American Hero" in 1965, he was already a legend. Growing up on a farm in Wilkes County, North Carolina, Johnson, like many of the pioneers of stock car racing, developed his driving skills running moonshine as a young man. He began racing in the late 1940s on small dirt tracks and made his Grand National (now Winston Cup) debut in 1953.

Saying, "I'd rather lead one lap and fall out of the race than stroke it and finish in the money," Johnson was known as a "hard-charger," who was willing to take risks to win. In the 1960 Daytona 500 he pioneered "drafting," the dangerous technique of closely following a faster car to pick up speed. Safety-minded as well, he is credited with the introduction of the shoulder harness.

It was the 1963 season that cemented Johnson's popularity. In that year, he drove an independent Chevrolet that frequently outran the Ford and Chrysler factory teams. It was said that the Ford Motor Company spent five million dollars trying to catch Junior Johnson that year.

At the height of his career, Junior Johnson retired in 1966 at the age of 34 with a record of 50 victories. In addition to being an excellent driver, he was also a highly skilled mechanic and an astute businessman. Using these talents, he formed the successful racing team that he had operated until his retirement from racing in 1994. As a car owner, Johnson accumulated over one hundred victories.

The Museum has two Winston Cup cars on display. A blue 1978 Oldsmobile driven by Cale Yarborough given as a gift to the Museum by RJ Reynolds and Junior Johnson. Our other car is a red 1988 Chevrolet Monte Carlo driven by Terry Labonte, given as a gift to the Museum by Junior Johnson.